u/JustSomeBullshit-

So I, 17M on trombone was in an alright spot for junior year, as I was fairly good but not the best. But there were signs that things weren’t going to be so good next year, because throughout my years in high school the number of people in band and occupying first chair and audition bands were dwindling because there was a disproportionate ratio of Seniors to freshman. My sophomore year, I missed out on Jazz Ensemble, the audition band, and ended up in Jazz lab, where everybody else who didn’t make the cut went. I was alright in marching, but I didn’t need to worry because there were other more talented players that could help. I was no good at concert band because there were plenty But junior year, I found my self on second chair Jazz Ensemble because there were a total of 4 bones, down from 6, but now with only 1 senior, and 2 freshman who still need more time to improve. Even in sophmore year, I was placed first chair for Jazz Lab simply because I was in a place where everybody better than me went to ensemble and everybody else in lab was worse. I’m a section leader for marching next year simply because I was the only option as the only senior in low brass because they’ve all left or quit, reducing our section from 10 people to 3. For Jazz ensemble, unless a student who is really good at jazz bone joins, it is extremely likely I will get first chair on the merit that there will be zero completion. This is the first year of our band program where at the end-of-year banquet, that the directors have had to literally beg people not to quit because so many are leaving the program.

So all of this leaves me in a bad spot, because I am just not ready to be in that position. I’ve improved a lot since freshman year and my tone and range are pretty good, but my articulations still need a lot of work and I have a lot of trouble with 16ths and tonguing. Also the previous first chair bone for jazz was great at improv and solos, which I am terrible at. So I’m just stuck in a bad place with a lot of improving to do in a short time, but I don’t just want to give up on these programs. Any advice at all?